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Practical Forums for Professional Realization

Re-Act

Practical Forums for Professional Realization

Pioneering initiative tackling youth unemployment all over Bulgaria

The project combined interactive career-readiness trainings with an innovative employment forum involving socially responsible companies, NGOs, and public institutions. Through tailored modules, over 100 young people (aged 15ā€“29) were equipped with critical job-seeking skills, such as interview simulations, CV writing, and professional orientation, enabling them to confidently enter the labor market and reduce the risk of social exclusion.

Learn more

Period:

2013 – 2014

Countries involved:

  • Bulgaria

Donor:

  • Vounteers
  • Partner NGOs
  • Individual donations

Program:

  • Self-financed

Lead partner:

  • Re-Act Association

All partners:

Contacts:

Lyuben Georgiev
luben@re-act.bg

Hashtags:

#careerwithacause #solidarity #volunteering #workwithmeaning #NGO #professionalrealization #nonformaleducation

AT A GLANCE

The project aims to create a mechanism for information and professional adaptation of unemployed youth from the capital and small settlements in Western Bulgaria. The initiative is the first of its kind, which seeks real preparation of young people to cope with the conditions of job search and overcoming unemployment by conducting trainings for searching, applying and finding a job.

The idea is to combine traditional methods such as trainings, which are currently conducted only by specialized companies, with a non-traditional forum for work in the city of Sofia. The event, scheduled for May 18, 2013, will be held at Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski” with the main participation of non-governmental organizations and socially responsible companies. It is planned to present internship opportunities in large NGOs in the country, opportunities for work in the social sphere and state institutions, as well as opportunities for work in companies that are strongly socially engaged and representatives of social entrepreneurship.

PROJECT GOALS

For the overall preparation of the project participants, a separate training module will be held, tailored to the real requirements of employers and taught by professional HR specialists, including the following steps:

  1. Interactive training;
  2. Methods for informal continuing education, which is tolerated as an opportunity for personal development and leadership growth;
  3. Opportunities for simulation interviews;
  4. Simulation of a real process and condition of job search;
  5. Theoretical basis – compiling a CV, preparing a motivation letter, etc.;
  6. Organization of role-playing games – acting out, discussion of the most common problems when presenting at an interview;
  7. Accumulation of sufficient competencies for self-determination of a profession.

The trainings will be held in the city of Vratsa, the city of Pernik, the city of Blagoevgrad, the city of Kyustendil and the city of Sofia, starting at the end of April.

Each participant will have gone through a preparatory process that Bulgarian education does not yet offer either in secondary school or in higher education. At the same time, each participant will have the opportunity to participate in the SMART Foundationā€™s workshops and the RE-ACT Associationā€™s forum on May 18, 2013.

Participants

With this project, we will give the opportunity to all unemployed and students in Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Vratsa and Pernik, between the ages of 15 and 29, to participate in the training modules free of charge. Due to the limited capacity of the halls where the trainings will be held, we advise you to register in advance for the desired modules.

Project Effects

Participants will have the opportunity to assess their talents, interests, previous experience and to develop qualities such as entrepreneurship and flexibility, necessary for their future successful realization. They will be introduced to the tools for effective positioning in the labor market, acquisition of social skills and motivation. This corresponds to the priorities for promoting personal development, economic activity and initiative of young people, especially those from small populated regions. Our main goal is to reduce social exclusion and youth unemployment, which continues to grow.

Additional information

The main goal of Re-act is to gain useful experience in the implementation of this initiative, which can be transformed into a future broad platform for other colleagues of ours outside the capital. In this sense, we are working to build a comprehensive system-mechanism that we can share with other organizations and which can be implemented by them throughout the country.